Stay With Me Forever
by That Girl With Inked Scars
Summary: Edward left Bella alone in the woods. She struggles with the fact that he's gone. She becomes close to Jacob. But what will become of their relationship? Story better than summary. JacobxBella -Set in New Moon
1. Alone

**Bella&JacobBella&&JacobBella&JacobBella&Jacob. 'Nuff said. R&R Please :D**

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**This story sets in New Moon after Edward leaves Bella and she becomes close to Jacob. Will she choose Jacob as her true soul mate?**

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_Stay With Me Forever_

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"_It will be as if I never existed." _

I shivered hard, the last moments of seeing his golden topaz eyes flashing before me. I felt tears welding up in my eyes. The scream started from my lower back to jam through my mouth. He was gone. Irreversibly gone. There was some doubt that I was going to see him again. I called his name over and over as night began to fall in the forest.

"Edward!" I screamed. I walked further and before I knew it, I crashed to the ground. I wrapped myself in a tight ball and sobbed all my remaining tears, telling myself I was never going to move again.

I hadn't realized that I fell asleep. I heard the heartbeat of someone, their warm arms enveloping me. I opened my eyes and I saw the starry night sky. I turned my head to see Charlie running my way.

"She's alright." The deep voice came from the person carrying me. I didn't dare to look at him, didn't want to know who it was. I felt myself being passed on. I felt Charlie's breath on me.

"I got her," he said, "Thank you, Sam." Sam. So that was his name. I looked over to Sam and he nodded. I looked over to see where he nodded to and I saw that he nodded in Jacob's direction. Jacob Black. My best friend.

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_October_

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_November_

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_December_

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_January_

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Charlie's fist came down on the table. "That's it, Bella! I'm sending you home."

I looked up from my cereal, which I was pondering rather than eating, and stared at Charlie in shock. I hadn't been following the conversation—actually, I hadn't been aware that we were having a conversation—and I wasn't sure what he meant.

"I _am_ home," I mumbled, confused.

"I'm sending you to Renee, to Jacksonville," he clarified.

Charlie watched with exasperation as I slowly grasped the meaning of his words.

"What did I do?" I felt my face crumple. It was so unfair. My behavior had been above reproach for the past four months. After that first week, which neither of us never mentioned. I hadn't missed a day of school or work. My grades were perfect. I never broke curfew—I never went anywhere from which to break curfew in the first place. I only very rarely served leftovers.

Charlie was scowling.

"You didn't _do _anything. That's the problem. You never do anything."

"You want me to get into trouble?" I wondered, my eyebrows pulling together in mystification. I made an effort to pay attention. It wasn't easy. I was so used to tuning everything, out, my ears felt stopped up.

"Trouble would be better than this . . . this moping around all the time!"

That stung a bit. I'd been careful to avoid all forms of moroseness, moping included.

"I am not moping around."

"Wrong word," he grudgingly conceded. "Moping would be better—that would be doing _something_. You're just . . . lifeless, Bella. I think that's the word I want."

This accusation struck home. I sighed and tried to put some animation into my response.

"I'm sorry, Dad," My apology sounded a little flat, even to me. I thought I'd been fooling him. Keeping Charlie from suffering was the whole point of all this effort. How despressing to think that the effort had been wasted.

"I don't want you to apologize."

I sighed. "Then tell me what you do want me to do."

"Bella," he hesitated, scrutinizing my reaction to his next words. "Honey, you're not the first person to go through this kind of thing, you know."

"I know that." My accompanying grimace was limp and unimpressive.

"Listen honey, I think that—that maybe you need some help."

"Help?"

He paused, searching for the words again. "When your mother left," he began, frowning, "and took you with her." He inhaled deeply. "Well, that was a really bad time for me."

"I know, Dad," I mumbled.

"But I handled it. Honey, you're not handling it. I waited; I hoped it would get better." He stared at me and I looked down quickly. "I think we both know it's not getting better."

"I'm fine."

He ignored me. "Maybe, well, maybe if you talked to someone about it. A professional."

"You want me to see a shrink?"

"Maybe it would help."

"And maybe it wouldn't help one little bit."

He examined my obstinate expression, and switched to another line of attack.

"It's beyond me, Bella. Maybe your mother—"

"Look," I said in a flat voice. "I'll go out tonight, if you want. I'll call Jess or Angela."

"That's not what I want," he argued, frustrated. "I don't think I can live through seeing you try _harder_. I've never seen anyone trying so hard. It hurts to watch."

I pretended to be dense, looking down at the table. "I don't understand, Dad. First you're mad because I'm doing anything, and then you say you don't want me to go out."

"I want you to be happy—no, not even that much. I just want you not to be miserable. I think you'll have a better chance if you get out of Forks."

My eyes flashed up with the first small spark of feeling I'd had in too long to contemplate.

"I'm not leaving," I said.

"Why not?" he demanded.

"I'm in my last semester of school—it would screw everything up."

"You're a good student—you'll figure it out."

"I don't want to crowd Mom and Phil."

"Your mother's been dying to have you back."

"Florida is too hot."

His fist came down on the table again. "'We both know what's really going on here, Bella, and it's not good for you." He took a deep breath. "It's been months. No calls, no letters, no contact. You can't keep waiting for him."

I glowered at him. The heat almost, but not quite, reached my face. It had been a long time since I'd blushed with any emotion.

The whole subject was utterly forbidden, as he was well aware.

"I'm not waiting for anything. I don't expect anything." I said in a low monotone.

"Bella—," Charlie began, his voice thick.

I was out the front door before he can say anything else.


	2. Jacob Black

**Hi again! :D Thank you to all who reviewed!**

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_Chapter 2_

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I walked through the light rain, _his_ voice in my head.

"_Don't do anything reckless or stupid. For Charlie's sake." _Seeing my best friend would probably be reckless, to him, since he doesn't like Jacob. I frowned. Just as I looked up, I saw his beautiful face. The russet skin, the long black hair, dark eyebrows over the set of dark eyes, perfect lips curving into an excited grin, showing aligned perfect white teeth.

"Bella!"

Jacob had grown into some of his potential in the last eight months. He'd passed that point where the soft muscles of childhood hardened into the solid, lanky build of a teenager; the tendons and veins had become prominent under the red-brown skin of his arms, his hands. His face was still sweet like I remembered it, thought it had hardened, too—the planes of his cheekbones sharper, his jaw squared off, all childish roundness gone.

"Hey, Jacob!" I felt an unfamiliar surge of enthusiasm at his smile. I realized that I was pleased to see him.

I smiled back, and something clicked silently into place, like two corresponding puzzle pieces. I'd forgotten how much I really liked Jacob Black.

He stopped a few feet away from me, and I stared up at him in surprise, leaning my head back through the rain pelted my face.

"You grew again!" I accused in amazement.

He laughed, his smile widening impossibly. "Six five," he announced with self-satisfaction. His voice was deeper, but it had the husky tone I remembered.

"Is it ever going to stop?" I shook my head in disbelief. "You're huge." A few seconds later after I'd finished my sentence; Jacob took me in his arms and gave me one of his famous bone-crushing bear hugs.

"Jake," I gasped, "Can't breathe."

He chuckled and set me down, still keeping his arms around my waist softly. I smiled.

"Come inside! You're getting all wet." He led the way, twisting his hair in his big hands as he walked.

"Hey Dad," he called as he ducked to get through the front door. "Look who stopped by."

Billy was in the tiny square living room, a book in his hands. He set the book in his lap and wheeled himself forward when he saw me.

"Well, what do you know? It's good to see you again, Bella."

I nodded slightly. "Good to see you, too, Billy." I said.

"So what brings you here?"

"Just came to see Jacob." I smiled and Jacob's grin widened at my words.

"That's nice. I'm sure you two have seen each other in a while, anyway, so it would be great to catch up."

We both nodded. We walked out to see Jacob's garage.

"Jake, how old are you?" I said, my eyebrows furrowing together.

"16." he answered.

"I'm sorry, I missed your birthday. What are you, forty now?"

I sniffed. "Close. Don't worry about it, I missed yours."

Jacob grinned. "Well, I'm sure we'll remember next year, right?"


	3. Bike Building

**Yeesh, I haven't done this story in forever! While I was sleeping, an idea hit me that I think you guys would fall in love with. Hahaha. I'm not giving any hints lol.**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer owns it. And believe me, if I really **_**did**_** own Twilight, would I really be sitting here writing this chapter?**

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Chapter 3

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_Alice__:__ You've disappeared, like everything else. Who else can I talk to, I'm lost. When you left, and _he_ left, you took everything with you. But the absence of him is everywhere I look. It's like a huge whole has been punched through my chest. But in a way I'm glad… the pain is my only reminder that he was real… that you all were…_

I pressed 'send' and scrolled down, glancing at the errors on my laptop. I shook my head and decided to head down to Jake's.

I stopped walking on the pavement as a cold rush of loneliness rushed through me and then I saw _him. _

The perfect marble skin glistening in the sunlight, the liquid gold eyes and tousled bronze hair . . . It seemed almost real; I reached out to touch him, before seeing the mist disintegrate and disappear. Gone.

_Alice: I saw him. Maybe I'm crazy now, I guess that's okay. If a rush of danger is what it takes to see him, then that's what I'll find._

I pulled into Jacob's driveway and smiled. Jacob grinned and walked over to me.

"Hey." He murmured as he pulled me into a hug.

I hugged him back. "Hey. I, uh… brought you something." I turned and revealed the dirt bikes. "It's a little crazy."

"Wow, scrap metal! You shouldn't have." Jacob said, almost sarcastically.

"I saved them from the junk yard." I said. "I think, they'll cost more to fix than they're worth. And I figured if I had a friend to help—"

Jacob grinned as he cut me off. "Ah, me. You mean the mechanic type friend?"

I nodded.

"Since when are you into motorcycles?"

"Since now. I get it if you think this is stupid and reckless."

Jacob looked at me. "Bella, it's _completely_ stupid and reckless."

I felt my face fall, and then beamed as he said, "When do we start?"

I looked up. "Now. Please?" I tipped up to my toes slightly so my height was matching with his.

He laughed. "Okay." He started to pick up the bikes.

"Careful, those things are really heavy so . . ." I trailed off, seeing him lift up the bikes like they were nothing. I stared at him.

"Jake, you're... buff." I stuttered. Jacob laughed.

He led me to his garage. I grinned and already felt at home, counting all the times I've visited Jake.

"So I was thinking, if we're gonna do this every day, and hopefully we will, we have to,

like, fit some homework in there somewhere. I don't want Billy thinking that I'm a bad influence on you." I said.

Jacob glanced at me."_You_ influence _me_? Please."

I gaped."Are you...? I'm older than you. So that makes me the influencer and you the influencee."

Jacob shook his head and snorted. "No, no, no. My size and knowledge base actually makes me older than you. Because of your gentle paleness and lack of know-how."

I laughed."I convinced you to build two-wheeled death machines with me. Don't you think that makes you funny, young and naïve?"

Jake rolled his eyes and looked at me."Okay. So, where do we stand?"

I bit my lip and hesitated."I'm thirty five and you might be like thirty two."

Jacob snorted again."Come on!"

"Jake? Are you out here?" I heard voices and footsteps, as I jumped up and bent down to grab my bag.

"It's alright. It's just my boys." Jacob reassured me.

We waited through the short silence until two tall, dark-skinned boys strolled around the corner into the shed.

One was slender, and almost as tall as Jacob. His black hair was chin-length and parted down the middle, one side tucked behind his left ear while the right side swung free. The shorter boy was more burly. His white T-Shirt strained over his well-developed chest, and he seemed gleefully conscious of that fact. His hair was so short it was almost a buzz.

Both boys stopped when they saw me. The thin boys glanced swiftly back and forth between Jacob and me, while the brawny boy kept his eyes on me, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"Hey, guys." Jacob greeted them halfheartedly.

"Hey, Jake." the short one said, without looking away from me. I had to smile in response, his grin was so impish. When I did, he winked at me. "Hi, there."

"Quil, Embry—this is my friend, Bella."

Quil and Embry, I still didn't know which was which, exchanged a loaded look.

"Charlie's kid, right?" the brawny boy asked me, holding out his hand.

"That's right," I confirmed, shaking hands with him.

"I'm Quil Ateara." he announced grandly before releasing my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Quil."

"Hey, Bella. I'm Embry, Embry Call—you probably already figured that out, though." Embry smiled a shy smile and waved with one hand, which he then shoved in the pocket of his jeans.

I nodded. "Nice to meet you, too." I said.

I think I'll like hanging out here.

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Please Review — They make my day and encourage me to type faster :3


	4. Confessions

**New Chapter! :D:D I'm going to write the idea I told you about yesterday before I forget :3**

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**Enjoy! And please Review!**

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Chapter 4

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I've been seeing Jacob for weeks now; even have gone to the theater with him. But something was up with him. He didn't pick up my calls; all of a sudden he had gotten mad at Mike and had gotten very hot in temperature.

Billy told me it was Mono.

All I knew about Mono was you got it from kissing. I knew that wasn't the case. Then what _was_ it then? Some rare disease that ran through his family? No. I knew Billy didn't have it, did he? I had called Billy so many times and before I even finished a sentence, he had already hung up.

I stopped in front of Jacob's house, killing the motor and rolling down the windows. It was stuffy today, no breeze. I put my feet up on the dashboard and settled to wait.

A movement flashed in my peripheral vision—I turned and stopped Billy looking at me through the front window with a confused expression. I waved once and smiled a tight smile, but stayed where I was.

His eyes narrowed; he let the curtain fall across the glass.

I was prepared to stay as long as it took, but I wished I had something to do. I dug up a pen out of the bottom of my backpack, and an old test. I started to doodle on the back of the scrap.

I'd only had time to scrawl one row of diamonds when there was a sharp tap against my door.

I jumped, looking up, expecting Billy.

"What are you doing, Bella?" Jacob growled.

I stared at him in blank astonishment.

Jacob had changed radically in the last weeks since I'd seen him. The first thing I noticed was his hair—his beautiful hair all gone, cropped quite short, covering his head with an inky gloss like black satin. The planes of his faces seemed to have hardened subtly, tightened . . . aged. His neck and shoulders were different, too, thicker somehow. His hands, where they gripped the window frame, looked enormous, with the tendons and veins more prominent under the russet skin. But the physical changes were insignificant.

It was his expression that made him almost completely unrecognizable. The open, friendly smile was like the hair, the warmth in his dark eyes alerted to a brooding resentment that was instantly disturbing. There was a darkness in Jacob now.

Like my sun had imploded.

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**Jacob's POV**

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When I stared at her, I felt a burning glowing rush through me. Like she was my everything. Why? I knew why. I had just imprinted on Isabella Swan.

"Jacob?" she whispered.

I just stared at her, unable to find the words I wanted.

"What do you want?" I finally said, but it hadn't come out like I wanted it to. It had come out harsh. My eyes moved to her face, trying to read her emotions.

"I want to talk to you." She said in a weak voice.

"Go ahead," I hissed through my teeth.

"Alone!" Bella hissed, and her voice was stronger.

I looked behind me. Sam nodded once and said a command in Quileute.

"Get inside." He said, and walked into my house. The others followed.

"Okay." I finally said.

She took a deep breath. "You know what I want to know."

I just stared at her, not answering.

Bella stared back then she said, "Can we walk?"

I still didn't answer, watching as she got out of her car. She walked toward the trees to the north, her feet squishing the damp grass and mud beside the road. She glanced around, probably looking for me and I was right beside her. I fought the urge to grab her hand.

I suddenly picked up the pace, striding ahead of her easily with my long legs, and then swinging around to face her, planting myself in her path so she would have to stop too.

"Let's get this over with." I said in a hard, husky voice.

She waited. I knew what she wanted.

"It's not what you think." My voice was abruptly weary. "It's not what I thought—I was way off."

"So what is it, then?"

I studied her face for a long moment, speculating. "I can't tell you." I finally said.

Bella's jaw tightened and she spoke through her teeth. "I thought we were friends."

"We were."

"But you don't need friends anymore," Bella said sourly. "You have Sam. Isn't that nice—you've always looked up to him so much."

"I didn't understand him before."

"And now you've seen the light. Hallelujah."

"It wasn't like I thought it was. This isn't Sam's fault. He's helping me as much as he can." My voice turned brittle, and I looked over her head, past her.

"He's helping you," Bella repeated dubiously. "Naturally."

But I didn't listen. I was taking deep, deliberate, breaths, trying to calm myself. My hands were shaking.

"Jacob, please," She whispered. "Won't you tell me what happened? Maybe I can help."

"No one can help me now." The words were a low moan; my voice broke.

"What did he do to you?" Bella demanded, tears collecting in her eyes. She reached out to me, as she had once before, stepping forward with her arms wide.

This time I cringed away, holding my hands up defensively. "Don't touch me," I whispered.

"Is Sam catching?" She mumbled.

"Stop blaming Sam." I said, my hands reaching up to twist around the hair that was no longer there, and then fell limply at my sides.

"Then who should I blame?" Bella retorted.

I halfway smiled. "You don't want to hear that."

"The hell I don't!" She snapped. "I want to know, and I want to know _now_."

"You're wrong." I snapped back.

"Don't you dare tell me I'm wrong—I'm not the one who got brainwashed! Tell me whose fault this all is, if it's not your precious Sam!"

"You asked for it," I growled at her. "If you want to blame someone, why don't you point your finger at those filthy, _reeking _bloodsuckers that you love so much?"

As soon as I said this, I regretted it. But the words had no effect on Bella as they did before.

"I don't care about the Cullens, Jake, I care about _you_." Bella said, moving toward me.

I blinked, confused, frozen.

I didn't answer.

"Edward is past tense, Jacob. You are my present." Bella still continued moving toward me, her arms wrapping around my neck.

Did Bella have feelings for me, too?

I closed my eyes. "Bella," I whispered.

I felt her trembling breath as she moved her face toward mine and her lips met my warm ones.

My head was spinning. I didn't say anything; instead, I let my lips move with hers, placing my hands on her waist, and pulling her closer. Bella tightened a hand in my ink black hair, still kissing me.

I pulled back softly, saying the words I had once kept to myself, the feeling I had always felt for her.

"I love you."

I gazed at her, my mouth barely hanging open at her next words.

"I love you, too."

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And that, my friends, is the idea I had when I was sleeping. :D


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